Fans of military and political literature likely know the name Paula Broadwell for her book All In: The Education of General David Petraeus, a biography of the man who until this weekend was the head of the Central Intelligence Agency. Those who knew of Broadwell knew her as an accomplished woman: ridiculously well-educated, worldly, motherly, and outrageously driven. Now, the world knows her as one thing: the sexy younger woman in a scandal. She may as well be the desperate [insert miscellaneous job description here] at the start of a Katherine Heigl rom-com, pining after the unattainable object of her affection. She could be the sexy, alluring journalist, the forlorn woman lusting after a powerful man, or even the irresistible grad student who's a little too hot for teacher (or distinguished General). Unfortunately, even in politics, the broad strokes of pop culture often prevail. The problem is that while pop culture gives us a few buckets in which to dump Broadwell, in reality, she’s nothing like those women and perhaps that's why she's become so interesting to us.
Once considered someone so accomplished that her résumé practically needs to be presented as novella, Broadwell is now known as little more than a lovesick schoolgirl, enduring the treatment of your average celebrity home-wrecker. Just this morning, The New York Daily News uncovered a photo from Petraeus’ Senate Select Intelligence Committee hearing on the General’s nomination for the director of the C.I.A., pointing to the smile on Broadwell’s face as Petraeus and his wife, Holly, walk past and characterizing the look as “locked on to her target like a Smart bomb.” Many depictions of the author have focused on her physical beauty, referring to her fashionable wardrobe, toned arms, and her past status as her high school’s Homecoming Queen.
Of course, part of the blame goes to the thing that broke the story in the first place: Broadwell’s emails to the Florida woman who brought the emails to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s attention. According to The New York Post, the emails included such high school girl fight hits as “back off” and “stay away from my guy,” rendering Broadwell a character not unlike Erika Christensen in Swimfan with a touch of Bridget Jones desperation. In the wake of the scandal, encounters between Broadwell and Petraeus have been described as “disconcerting” or “inappropriate.” One aide noted that Broadwell seemed to have special candor with the General. “Those who worked for him never tried to leverage our relationship with him. It seemed to a lot of us that she didn’t have that filter,” the aide told The Washington Post.
The result is a depiction that is expectedly unflattering, even if it is incomplete. She is, after all, a married woman who had an affair with a U.S. official. But in just a few short days, Broadwell lost her reputation as the woman who had it all, as Inspired Woman Magazine touted in February 2012: “Finding a balance between her professional and personal life is something Broadwell seems to excel at, just like everything else she attempts.” She has multiple degrees hailing from Westpoint, Harvard’s JFK School of Government, and the University of Denver’s school of International Studies, in addition to being a research associate at Harvard’s Center for Public Leadership and a doctoral candidate. The proceeds from her book on Petraeus, titled All In, were donated to a cause she's worked tirelessly to support: benefits for injured veterans of the war in Afghanistan. Even as she endures a scandal, she's still showing her proclivity for charity, giving her chance to participate in a charity parachute jump to veteran David Bixler, who lost both his legs in Afghanistan. But now, she’s “the other woman.” And unfortunately, the picture most of us have seen of the “other woman” is one that reeks of desperation, loneliness, and pining, while her partner in crime is merely "disgraced."
Yes, Petraeus is enduring his fair share of shame – losing his post as the head of the C.I.A. isn’t exactly a slap on the wrist – but he’s not the one who was caught sending juvenile emails. The former C.I.A. director has been displayed as regretful and one who hangs his head in shame while Broadwell’s persona is that of a swooning teenager, mooning over her idol.
But, despite the boxes our pop culture experience provides for women in Broadwell’s situation, she truly doesn’t conform. In reality, she’s 40 years old. She’s in the thick of her career. She’s got two grown children. She’s not exactly a desperate singleton racing after an impressive public figure. She’s pretty extraordinary herself. Unfortunately for the author and accomplished scholar, there’s no pop culture box for the kind of woman she’s become in the wake of this scandal and that makes her all the more fascinating, which means her days as the focus of our ardent attention are far from over.
Of course, now that we’ve established that she’s not some wine-guzzling sad singleton chasing a married man, like the character even Homeland’s genius Carrie Matheson is sometimes reduced to, what we’re faced with is a much harsher reality. Someone who had it as good as Broadwell did can still find herself in a compromising situation. It brings the issue a little closer to home when the comforting and often comical illustrations of the other woman are rendered pretty useless. Suddenly, those broad pop culture strokes are feeling a little less like a disservice and more like a security blanket.
Follow Kelsea on Twitter @KelseaStahler
[Photo Credit: The Charlotte Observer/AP Photo]
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In the realm of big-time big screen heroes, the most well-known names tend to fall into one of three categories: superheroes, action heroes, and James Bond. There have been plenty of spies on the big screen, but few carry the cache of one 007. He’s the spy all other spies hope to be, and the man men universally idolize. He’s the man who can be a tad sexist and still put moviegoers under his charming spell. He can inspire legions to drink martinis even though they hate vodka. He’s the ultimate movie spy and his pop cultural reach is boundless. Except when it comes to the ladies. There are 50 years indicating that James Bond is a legend, but there’s not a single female hero who can claim the L word on a Bond level just yet.
Of course, we do have lady heroes – action, spy, and otherwise – but none has managed to nab a stronghold the way Bond has. The closest we’ve come to the female equivalent of Bond is Angelina Jolie, who’s starred as an action star and spy in films like Mr. And Mrs. Smith, the Tomb Raider movies, Taking Lives, Wanted, and recently, Salt. The release of Salt ignited this discussion, but the film failed to make a great enough impact to give the world a female answer to 007.
“The fact that there was so much conversation about [Salt] suggests to me that it’s an anomaly. It’s unusual, that’s why it matters so much,” says Chloe Angyal, an editor at Feministing.com. “If we have a female equivalent of James Bond, it’s a new phenomenon and it’s not going to be truly equivalent until we’ve had decades and decades of it the way we’ve had a James Bond,” she adds.
From a historical perspective, women simply haven’t had as much time to build up one character as a super spy. If we look back to the early sixties, around the first Bond film’s release in 1962, the big films centered around women rarely had a woman in a hero capacity. These were the years of Mary Poppins domestic goddess extraordinaire, Holly Golightly’s journey to being My Fair Lady, and Tippi Hedren fleeing The Birds. Women weren't strangers to leading roles, but while Bond was taking down the most sinister villains imaginable, the most well-known female protagonists were often upheld by ladylike qualities like delicacy, loveliness, and motherly tendencies. Even Batman’s Catwoman, while a villain in her own right, was characterized by little more than her weaponized sexuality – besides, she was the bad gal. We had yet to see a woman employing her cleverness and slight of hand in a lead character capacity – and for good – the way our favorite secret agent does. The film industry’s catalog of female protagonists simply doesn’t have the breadth to include a “female Bond”… yet.
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Of course, many of Bond’s women didn’t help to expand that catalog. “You also have to look at the place of women in most of the Bond films … it’s pretty grim,” says Angyal. From the femme fatales who use sex to trick Bond, to the women used as playthings in villains’ games, to the one-off sexual playthings who hop in and out of his bed, to the pining secretarial standby Moneypenny, the ladies of the Bond series, are for the most part, accessories to Bond himself. Not the stations that inspire the next female super spy.
But times have changed and with it Bond girls, who’ve gained more tactical importance and chutzpah in recent films. But more importantly female spies have become more common in film and television. We’ve seen ladies take the reins in the espionage game on shows like Alias, Chuck, and Nikita, and while Alias was appointment television during its early 2000s run, Sydney Bristow hasn’t exactly maintained a spot as the de facto lady spy. Though Jolie has made a mark for herself as a slithery spying heroine, she certainly can’t carry that torch for 50 years, plus. We find similar qualities in more nuanced superhero characters like Anne Hathaway’s Selina Kyle (The Dark Knight Rises) and Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow (The Avengers), but neither character has become the cultural hero on the level on the British government’s secret weapon.
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Part of the roadblock for spying ladies is the audience’s thirst for romance. Whereas Bond gets to “love” his Bond girls and leave them, female spies almost always have more sentimental love interests (in their past or present) when they’re running the show. These women rarely have one-off sexual encounters like Bond has had (though he does so less often in more recent films), lest they be painted as a femme fatale rather than a heroic figure. Oftentimes, a character’s proclivity for romance rather than pure sex is what separates her from the villainess. Even Homeland’s unostentatious spy Carrie Matheson finds herself in a deep romantic entanglement while on the trail. It’s practically unavoidable. But still, that may not be the real reasonwe don’t have a female character with the same commanding presence as Mr. Bond.
There’s an element of pop culture-lovers’ capacity for accepting new long-lived characters. Recurring roles in big budget movies are limited, mostly, to heroes born out of comic book legacy and 007, most of which started sewing seeds in the ‘50s and ‘60s. They’ve had time to cull their fan bases and establish themselves. Current films that claim devotion on that level are limited to series based on book series like Harry Potter and the Bourne films, but even then, the names aren’t built to continue endlessly like Batman and Bond can. With something like Potter, the source material is sacred and limited, meaning the capacity for endless adventures of Harry Potter and friends is practically nonexistent. Bourne tried to continue on with a new hero after the franchise lost Matt Damon, but while the box office numbers were good, the Bourne Legacyfelt less like a continuation of Jason Bourne’s adventures and more like a segue into the life of another, completely different super soldier. Perhaps the lack of a non-comic book, recurring female heroine on the level of James Bond has little to do with sexism and more to do with the fact that the role of go-to pop culture spy is already filled.
Perhaps the question isn’t when will we have a female James Bond, it’s will we ever have a character who captures generations of movie-goers the way 007 does? Maybe what we’re looking for isn’t a lady version of the world’s greatest spy, but a female character who captures the world in the same way. Maybe we’ve already met her, but then again, we probably won’t realize we've found her until we notice that she’s been stringing us along for a whopping 50 years.
Follow Kelsea on Twitter @KelseaStahler
[Photo Credit: iStock Photo; ABC]
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There is something particularly unnerving about demon possession. It's the idea of something you can't see or control creeping into your body and taking up residence eventually obliterating all you once were and turning you into nothing more than a sack of meat to be manipulated. Then there's also the shrouded ritual around exorcisms: the Latin chants the flesh-sizzling crucifixes and the burning Holy Water. As it turns out exorcism isn't just the domain of Catholics.
The myths and legends of the Jews aren't nearly as well known but their creepy dybbuk goes toe-to-toe with anything other world religions come up with. There are various interpretations of what a dybbuk is or where it comes from — is it a ghost a demon a soul of a sinner? — but in any case it's looking for a body to hang out in for a while. Especially according to the solemn Hasidic Jews in The Possession an innocent young person and even better a young girl.
The central idea in The Possession is that a fancy-looking wooden box bought at a garage sale was specifically created to house a dybbuk that was tormenting its previous owner. Unfortunately it caught the eye of young Emily (Natasha Calis) a sensitive artistic girl who persuades her freshly divorced dad Clyde (Jeffrey Dean Morgan of Watchmen and Grey's Anatomy) to buy it for her. Never mind the odd carvings on it — that would be Hebrew — or how it's created without seams so it would be difficult to open or why it's an object of fascination for a young girl; Clyde is trying really hard to please his disaffected daughters and do the typical freshly divorced parent dance of trying to please them no matter the cost.
Soon enough the creepy voices calling to Emily from the box convince her to open it up; inside are even creepier personal objects that are just harbingers of what's to come for her her older sister Hannah (Madison Davenport) her mom Stephanie (Kyra Sedgwick) and even Stephanie's annoying new boyfriend Brett (Grant Show). Clyde and Stephanie squabble over things like pizza for dinner and try to convince each other and themselves that Emily's increasingly odd behavior is that of a troubled adolescent. It's not of course and eventually Clyde enlists the help of the son of a Hasidic rabbi a young man named Tzadok played by the former Hasidic reggae musician Matisyahu to help them perform an exorcism on Emily.
The Possession is not going to join the ranks of The Exorcist in the horror pantheon but it does do a remarkable job of making its characters intelligent and even occasionally droll and it offers up plenty of chills despite a PG-13 rating. Perhaps it's because of that rating that The Possession is so effective; the filmmakers are forced to make the benign scary. Giant moths and flying Torahs take the place of little Reagan violently masturbating with a crucifix in The Exorcist. Gagging and binging on food is also an indicator of Emily's possession — an interesting twist given the anxieties of becoming a woman a girl Emily's age would face. There is something inside her controlling her and she knows it and she is fighting it. The most impressive part of Calis's performance is how she communicates Emily's torment with a few simple tears rolling down her face as the dybbuk's control grows. The camerawork adds to the anxiety; one particularly scary scene uses ordinary glass kitchenware to great effect.
The Possession is a short 92 minutes and it does dawdle in places. It seems as though some of the scenes were juggled around to make the PG-13 cut; the moth infestation scene would have made more sense later in the movie. Some of the problems are solved too quickly or simply and yet it also takes a while for Clyde's character to get with it. Stephanie is a fairly bland character; she makes jewelry and yells at Clyde for not being present in their marriage a lot and then there's a thing with a restraining order that's pretty silly. Emily is occasionally dressed up like your typical horror movie spooky girl with shadowed eyes an over-powdered face and dark clothes; it's much more disturbing when she just looks like an ordinary though ill young girl. The scenes in the heavily Hasidic neighborhood in Brooklyn look oddly fake and while it's hard to think of who else could have played Tzadok an observant Hasidic Jew who is also an outsider willing to take risks the others will not Matisyahu is not a very good actor. Still the filmmakers should be commended for authenticity insofar as Matisyahu has studied and lived as a Hasidic Jew.
It would be cool if Lionsgate and Ghost House Pictures were to release the R-rated version of the movie on DVD. What the filmmakers have done within the confines of a PG-13 rating is creepy enough to make me curious to see the more adult version. The Possession is no horror superstar and its name is all too forgettable in a summer full of long-gestating horror movies quickly pushed out the door. It's entertaining enough and could even find a broader audience on DVD. Jeffrey Dean Morgan can read the Old Testament to me any time.

A decade-long gap between sequels could leave a franchise stale but in the case of Men in Black 3 it's the launch pad for an unexpectedly great blockbuster. The kooky antics of Agent J (Will Smith) and Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) don't stray far from their 1997 and 2002 adventures but without a bombardment of follow-ups to keep the series in mind the wonderfully weird sensibilities of Men in Black feel fresh Smith's natural charisma once again on full display. Barry Sonnenfeld returns for the threequel another space alien romp with a time travel twist — which turns out to be Pandora's Box for the director's deranged imagination.
As time passed in the real world so did it for the timeline in the world of Men in Black. Picking up ten years after MIB 2 J and K are continuing to protect the Earth from alien threats and enforce the law on those who live incognito. While dealing with their own personal issues — K is at his all-time crabbiest for seemingly no reason — the suited duo encounter an old enemy Boris the Animal (Jemaine Clement) a prickly assassin seeking revenge on K who blew his arm off back in the '60s. Their street fight is more of a warning; Boris' real plan is to head back in time to save his arm and kill off K. He's successful prompting J to take his own leap through the time-space continuum — and team up with a younger K (Josh Brolin) to put an end to Boris plans for world domination.
Men in Black 3 is the Will Smith show. Splitting his time between the brick personalities of Jones and Brolin's K Smith struts his stuff with all the fast-talking comedic style that made him a star in yesteryears. In present day he's still the laid back normal guy in a world of oddities — J raises an eyebrow as new head honcho O (Emma Thompson) delivers a eulogy in a screeching alien tongue but coming up with real world explanations for flying saucer crashes comes a little easier. But back in 1969 he's an even bigger fish out water. Surprisingly director Barry Sonnenfeld and writer Etan Cohen dabble in the inherent issues that would spring up if a black gentlemen decked out in a slick suit paraded around New York in the late '60s. A star of Smith's caliber may stray away from that type of racy humor but the hook of Men in Black 3 is the actor's readiness for anything. He turns J's jokey anachronisms into genuine laughs and doesn't mind letting the special effect artists stretch him into an unrecognizable Twizzler for the movie's epic time jump sequence.
Unlike other summer blockbusters Men in Black 3 is light on the action Sonnenfeld utilizing his effects budget and dazzling creature work (by the legendary Rick Baker) to push the comedy forward. J's fight with an oversized extraterrestrial fish won't keep you on the edge of your seat but his slapstick escape and the marine animal's eventual demise are genuinely amusing. Sonnenfeld carries over the twisted sensibilities he displayed in small screen work like Pushing Daisies favoring bizarre banter and elaborating on the kookiness of the alien underworld than battle scenes. MIB3's chase scene is passable but the movie in its prime when Smith is sparring with Brolin and newcomer Michael Stuhlbarg who steals the show as a being capable of seeing the future. His twitchy character keeps Smith and the audience on their toes.
Men in Black 3 digs up nostalgia I wasn't aware I had. Smith's the golden boy of summer and even with modern ingenuity keeping it fresh — Sonnenfeld uses the mandatory 3D to full and fun effect — there's an element to the film that feels plucked from another era. The movie is economical and slight with plenty of lapses in logic that will provoke head scratching on the walk out of the theater but it's also perfectly executed. After ten years of cinematic neutralizing the folks behind Men in Black haven't forgotten what made the first movie work so well. After al these years Smith continues to make the goofy plot wild spectacle and crazed alien antics look good.
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Though ostensibly successful 2009’s The Final Destination represented to many a horror franchise on its last hackneyed legs. Rote uninspired and humorless it scored a (modest) hit only by virtue of the novelty -- and added ticket price -- of its 3D transfer. Two years later Final Destination 5 arrives with a slightly tweaked formula a beefed-up storyline actors you might actually recognize and genuine honest-to-goodness 3D. It’s still schlock mind you -- but artful schlock and a marked improvement over the preceding entry.
The story begins in familiar fashion with a cursory introduction to the characters followed by a grisly premonition that sees them perish wholesale. An assortment of cubicle-dwellers at a paper factory are being bused to a corporate retreat when one of them Sam (Nicholas D’Agosto perpetually bug-eyed) dreams of a massive bridge collapse in which he and his co-workers are impaled beheaded bisected crushed by cars singed by tar -- however many ways a suspension bridge can kill a person the film’s opening set-piece explores it gruesome detail. Sam awakens duly horrified and demands the bus be evacuated. Seconds later the employees watch in horror from the sidelines as Sam’s vision comes to fruition.
You know what happens next. One-by-one death stalks the survivors who meet their fate in a series of elaborately-staged incidents. Some are relatively straightforward; others involve fiendish head-fakes and red herrings. The range of victims is older and more colorful than in previous Final Destination films in which death preyed exclusively on attractive nubile teenagers but the end result is invariably the same. (Not to give anything away but those considering acupuncture or laser eye surgery would be wise to avoid the film entirely.) As death’s scheme becomes achingly evident Sam his lachrymose girlfriend Molly (Emma Bell) and his increasingly unhinged buddy Peter (Miles Fisher) become increasingly desperate. Enter the ever-ominous Tony Todd returning to the franchise after (wisely) taking the previous film off offering a potential way out. But is it genuine or just another of death’s cruel tricks?
Director Steven Quale a James Cameron protege hired principally for his 3D expertise takes full advantage of the added dimension delivering some of the most vivid and immersive 3D sequences in recent memory. Unlike The Final Destination which seemed little more than a amalgam of crude one-liners Final Destination 5 feels like a real movie one with a discernible plot an element of suspense and a handful characters who are more than just punchlines. Most of the actors are surprisingly competent save for Fisher a credible doppelganger for Tom Cruise (he parodied him 2008’s Superhero Movie) who imbues every line with couch-jumping intensity.
Final Destination 5 ends with a twist that while genuinely unexpected feels like a Hail Mary for a franchise that can’t forestall its inexorable descent into stale irrelevance despite the best of efforts from Quale. Its trademark formula has simply lost its potency -- a problem no amount of cosmetic upgrades however welcome can fix. That the film is bracketed by two pointless and time-consuming montages -- the first an animated sequence that hurtles various hazardous objects at the audience the second a greatest hits compilation of memorable kills from previous Final Destination films -- is a telltale sign that the saga’s creativity is on life support. Perhaps it’s time to pull the plug.

Thursday's Comic-Con Schedule Highlights
The Thursday schedule for Comic-con 2010 in San Diego has just been released, and it's chock full of programs and events guaranteed to quicken the hearts of geeks worldwide. In case you couldn't make it to sunny California for this year's convention, here are all the movie and TV - related highlights for the Thursday, July 22 schedule. Keep checking back at Hollywood.com, where we will be keeping you updated on all of the event's entertainment-industry happenings. (Full schedule available at the Comic-Con website.)
10:00-11:00 DreamWorks Animation: Megamind
DreamWorks Animation makes its Comic-Con debut with Megamind. The characters Megamind and Metro Man are jettisoned to Earth as babies when their home planets are destroyed. Megamind crash-lands inside a maximum-security prison, where he evolves into the wicked and diabolical genius he is today, while the dashingly handsome superhero Metro Man grows into the universally adored savior of Metro City, beloved by every man, woman and child -- and especially the city's ace reporter Roxanne Ritchi. These life-long archenemies will rewrite superhero movie lore when they challenge each other to the ultimate showdown of Good vs. Evil! Megamind stars Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, and Jonah Hill and director Tom McGrath join forces to unveil footage from DreamWorks Animation's November 5 release. Hall H
10:30-11:30 Danny Elfman
From Pee-Wee's Big Adventure to Alice in Wonderland, composer Danny Elfman discusses his 25-year collaboration with director Tim Burton. Their legendary partnership includes such films as Beetle Juice, Batman, Edward Scissorhands, Nightmare Before Christmas, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Joining Mr. Elfman will be Warner Brothers Records executives to announce their plans to celebrate this quarter-century milestone. Room 6BCF
10:30-11:30 TheOneRing.net Talks The Hobbit movies
Chris Pirrotta, Cliff Broadway, and Larry D. Curtis, staff members from TORn (the gold standard of fansites and a consistent breaking news source) talk about the latest on the two coming Hobbit films, including mainstream news, spy reports, and rumors. Special guests are a possibility; audio and visuals are a given with a Q&amp;A and all sorts of fun. Room 7AB
10:45-11:45 Cuckoo Nest Films: Hoohah! Heroes Behind the Heroes
This preview of the new film Hoohah! Heroes Behind the Heroes delves into the lives of the creators responsible for writing and drawing some of comics' most beloved heroes and villains, from the whimsical and humorous to the terrifying. It's through their stories in comic books that we come to know these writers and artists on a personal level. Panelists Amanda Conner (Power Girl), Mark Evanier (Groo the Wanderer), Bill Morrison (Simpsons Comics), Jimmy Palmiotti (Jonah Hex), and Scott Shaw! (Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew!) engage in a discussion and Q&amp;A session with director Jerry Hogrewe. Room 6A
11:00-12:00 That Chris Gore Show
Attack of the Show's film expert Chris Gore promises a glimpse into geekdom and a raucus Q&amp;A. Gore will show a preview of his upcoming documentary, present a sneak peek of his new show, and finally answer the burning question, what is the greatest DVD of all time? Room 5AB
11:00-12:00 The Clockwork Girl
The Clockwork Girl is in production as a stereoscopic 3D computer generated feature film based on the comic book series published by Arcana. Producer Sean O'Reilly will talk about how CJ Entertainment financed Dreamworks Animation in 1995 and is now behind The Clockwork Girl through Luximation Animation. Alexa Vega (Spy Kids) and Sean Covel and Doc Wyatt (Napoleon Dynamite) talk about the feature film and show an exclusive featurette for The Clockwork Girl. Room 9
11:15-12:45 Walt Disney Pictures: TRON: Legacy
Returning for an unprecedented third year to the fans and convention that started it all, Walt Disney Pictures is pleased to present a special insider look at the upcoming TRON: Legacy. Panelists include filmmakers and talent from the film: director Joe Kosinski, producers Sean Bailey and Steven Lisberger, and cast members Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde, Michael Sheen, and Bruce Boxleitner. The discussion, moderated by Patton Oswalt, is set to include exclusive glimpses of the film, as well as a Q&amp;A involving all panel participants, along with special surprise guests. Hall H
1:00-2:00 Ape Entertainment
Learn about Ape Entertainment's current and upcoming Dreamworks Animation line featuring Shrek, Penguins of Madagascar, and Megamind, as well as other Kizoic all-ages brand titles, including Pocket God, based on the bestselling iPhone application. And don't miss out on the big announcements of properties coming to Ape Entertainment/Kizoic in 2011, and receive a free comic book simply for showing up at the panel. Room 9
1:00-2:00 USA Network's Burn Notice
Bruce Campbell (Sam Axe), Matt Nix (creator and executive producer), and Alfredo Barrios, Jr. (executive producer) host a panel discussion and answer questions about the creative process of evolving an embryonic idea into a finished episode of cable's #1 show. Fans will gain an intimate look inside the world of Burn Notice, complete with war stories from the writer's room and filming on location in Miami. Exclusive video content will include tips on how to survive Comic-Con from your favorite burned spy, Michael Westen (played by Jeffrey Donovan), highlights from all four seasons and an exclusive sneak peek at upcoming episodes. Ballroom 20
1:00-2:00 Sony Pictures Entertainment: Battle: Los Angeles and Salt
Two great new films from Sony Pictures Entertainment are showcased in this Hall H presentation!
Battle: Los Angeles: When unknown forces suddenly and mercilessly attack the City of Angels out of nowhere, it's up to a local Marine staff sergeant (Aaron Eckhart) and a new platoon of unseasoned soldiers to meet the threat. As the invasion hits the streets of LA, these Marines become our first and last line of defense in an intense battle against an enemy unlike any they've ever encountered before. Appearing in person are Michelle Rodriguez, Aaron Eckhart, Neal Moritz, and director Jonathan Liebesman.Salt: Opening in theaters everywhere tomorrow, Columbia Pictures brings an exclusive and surprising look at Salt to Comic-Con today, featuring some very special guests. As a CIA officer, Evelyn Salt (Angelina Jolie) swore an oath to duty, honor and country. Her loyalty will be tested when a defector accuses her of being a Russian spy. Salt goes on the run, using all her skills and years of experience as a covert operative to elude capture, but her efforts to prove her innocence only serve to cast doubt on her motives as the hunt to uncover the truth behind her identity continues and the question remains: "Who is Salt?" Hall H
2:00-3:00 Walt Disney Animation Studios: Character Creation!
Throughout the years, Walt Disney Animation Studios has brought us some of the most memorable, unique, and appealing onscreen characters. Disney Animation's upcoming release Tangled introduces a fresh and irresistible new bunch. Nathan Greno and Byron Howard (directors), Glen Keane (animation supervisor), and other artists from Tangled discuss the creation of their unforgettable characters. Room 5AB
2:15-3:15 USA Network's White Collar
Moderated by White Collar's very own conspiracy theorist, Willie Garson (Mozzie), the audience will have a chance to interact with creator Jeff Eastin, stars Matt Bomer (Neal Caffrey), Tim DeKay (FBI Agent Peter Burke), Marsha Thomason (Agent Diana Barrigan), Sharif Atkins (Agent Clinton Jones), and co-EP Jeff King. Fans will get an insider's look into the challenges of writing in Los Angeles while shooting on the streets of New York. In addition to having questions answered about the exciting upcoming season, fans will also view exclusive video content featuring a sneak peek at new episodes in season 2, as well as a video of Neal explaining the ins and outs of how to pull off the perfect con. Ballroom 20
2:15-3:15 Summit Entertainment: RED
Summit Entertainment presents a sneak peek of exclusive footage from RED. They used to be the CIA's top agents -- but the secrets they know just made them the Agency's top targets. Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, and Helen Mirren star in RED, an explosive action-comedy based on the cult DC Comics graphic novel by Warren Ellis. Join him, director Robert Schwentke, and the film's stars as they share footage from the film and debut the final trailer before it's ever in theaters. Hall H
2:30-3:30 State of the Geek Report: From Avatar to Zardoz
A panel of experts examine the state of science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film and TV, from the living-ever-longer-and-prospering Star Trek franchise to the future of Star Wars to what the success of Avatar means for the future of movies. Some of geekdom's biggest luminaries, including Steve Melching (The Clone Wars), Ashley E. Miller (Thor, X-Men: First Class), Steve Kriozere (Elvis Van Helsing), Jeff Bond (former Geek Monthly editor), and Bill Hunt and Todd Doogan (Digital Bits), talk about the lackluster state of sci-fi film and television, the rise, fall and rise of Star Trek, and the hits and misses of 2010 that made their midicholorian (and cholesterol) counts rise to dangerous levels this summer. Room 4
2:30-3:30 A Decade of Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Squidbillies and More: The Animated Insanity of Radical Axis Studios
The team from Radical Axis -- animators, artists, and amateur magicians -- celebrate the studio's 10th Anniversary with a look back at its body of work that includes Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Squidbillies, and other cartoon insanity. Scott Fry (CEO), Craig Hartin (VP of production), and Todd Redner (animation director) are joined by friend/collaborator Matt Maiellaro (co-creator, Aqua Teen Hunger Force) for a no-holds-barred Q&amp;A with USA Today's Whitney Matheson. Room 6A
3:30-4:30 USA Network's Psych
They're back! Always an unpredictable and hilarious event with the creative team behind the most-watched comedy series on cable TV! Enjoy some face-time with series stars James Roday (Shawn Spencer), Dulé Hill (Burton "Gus" Guster), Maggie Lawson (Juliet O'Hara), Tim Omundson (Carlton Lassiter), Kirsten Nelson (Chief Karen Vick), and Corbin Bernsen (Henry Spencer). Joining the cast will be Steve Franks (creator and executive producer), Kelly Kulchak (executive producer), and Chris Henze (executive producer), moderated by Psych's resident funnyman Andy Berman (co-executive producer, ex-actor, and longtime writer). The team will provide an all-access pass to USA's hit series, which launches its 5th season this summer. The stars and producers will share Season 5 secrets and stories from the set and answer questions about the show's development and production process. Expect special video presentations created exclusively for Comic-Con, never-before-seen outtakes, and a Season 5 exclusive preview. Two lucky audience members will find fame and fortune again this year when they win the honor of having a guest character named after them in a Season 5 episode! There will be exclusive surprise giveaways, including limited-run Comic-Con T-shirts designed by the creative team behind Psych! Ballroom 20
3:30-4:30 Entertainment Weekly: The Visionaries
A discussion with geek gods J. J. Abrams (Star Trek) and Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) on the future of pop culture. EW presents an in-depth conversation with these two creative geniuses about how technology, gaming, and global culture are reshaping how we tell and consume stories on television, film and the web. Plus: Is the superhero movie waning, or is it on the cusp of reinvention? And what do they think the pop culture universe will look like a decade from now? Moderated by Jeff "Doc" Jensen. Hall H
4:30-5:30 Transformers Prime
The talent behind Transformers Prime -- executive producers Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and Jeff Kline -- the new animated series from Hasbro Studios, showcase exclusive footage and character reveals followed by a Q&amp;A session. This original series will premiere in 2010 on the new television network The Hub. Room 7AB
4:45-5:45 Our Heroes Have More Fun: the Anti-Heroes of Showtime
The 21st century anti-hero has become one of the driving forces in recent pop culture. When it comes to the television anti-hero, Showtime has the winning formula. Hear firsthand from the showrunners, creators, and actors who have helped define this phenomenon. Dexter's Michael C. Hall and showrunner Chip Johannessen (24) delve into the phenomenon of Dexter Morgan, the serial killer you can't help rooting for; David Duchovny and Tom Kapinos of Californication discuss why Hank Moody is the "bad boy" we love despite his obvious shortcomings; and Mary-Louise Parker and Jenji Kohanof Weeds interpret pot-dealing soccer mom Nancy Botwin's moral decisions, as the line between right and wrong is not always as simple as black or white. Plus: Nurse Jackie—despite a little pill-popping along the way—is a smart no-nonsense nurse, who if you're ever taken to the hospital, you had better hope she's the first person you see. With heroes like these, who needs villains? Breaking the occasional promise, law, or commandment is all in a day's work, and one thing's for sure - Showtime heroes never let doing the right thing get in the way of having a good time. Ballroom 20
4:45-5:45 Lionsgate: The Expendables
Prepare to have your ass kicked by The Expendables, the biggest action movie this summer! Lionsgate presents exclusive scenes and the inside scoop on every punch, kick, and bloodied lip from the most iconic cast of heroes and villains ever assembled, including the director, writer, and star Sylvester Stallone (Rambo), along with Dolph Lundgren (Universal Soldier), Steve Austin (The Condemned), Randy Couture (Scorpion King: Rise of the Warrior), and Terry Crews (Gamer). Hall H
5:00-6:00 Adult Swim: Children's Hospital
Check out the Children's Hospital panel and hear from the show's creative team led by Rob Corddry (Hot Tub Time Machine, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart) and Jon Stern (producer of The Ten and Scotland, PA). They will be joined by members of their ensemble cast of comedic heavyweights, including Lake Bell (How to Make It in America, It's Complicated), Erinn Hayes (Parenthood, Worst Week), and Rob Huebel (I Love You Man, Human Giant). Childrens Hospital explores the emotional struggles and sexual politics of a group of doctors charged with healthy libidos. Their dedication to their personal lives is relentless, interrupted only by the occasional need to treat sick children. Room 25ABC
6:00-7:00 Showtime's Dexter
What's next for America's Favorite Serial Killer? If the dramatic season finale left you in an, OMG-what-just-happened frenzy, you don't want to miss this killer panel! You'll see the exclusive world premiere of the new season's trailer, then moderator Ralph Garman (KROQ entertainment reporter) presides over a revealing interview and Q&amp;A session with the stars and executive producers of Dexter. Featured panelists include Michael C. Hall (series star/executive producer), Jennifer Carpenter (Deb), Desmond Harrington (Quinn), and executive producers John Goldwyn, Sara Colleton, Chip Johannessen (24), and Manny Coto (Star Trek: Enterprise). The new season premieres September 26, at 9:00 pm ET/PT only on Showtime. Ballroom 20
6:00-7:00 Universal: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Genre-bending filmmaker Edgar Wright (Hot Fuzz), graphic novel author Bryan Lee O'Malley, and the cast of Universal Pictures' Scott Pilgrim vs. the World provide a sneak peek of summer 2010's epic of epic epicness. Joining Wright will be our hero, Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera of Superbad); Scott's two current girlfriends, Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead of The Thing) and Knives Chau (Ellen Wong of Unnatural History); his band, SEX BOB-OMB: Kim Pine (Alison Pill of Milk) and Stephen Stills (Mark Webber of Broken Flowers); SEX BOB-OMB super-fan Young Neil (Johnny Simmons of Jennifer's Body); Scott's awesome roommate, Wallace Wells (Kieran Culkin of Igby Goes Down); and four of Ramona's seven evil exes: Matthew Patel (Satya Bhabha of Fair Game), Todd Ingram (Brandon Routh of Superman Returns), Gideon Graves (Jason Schwartzman of Funny People) and Roxy Richter (Mae Whitman of Parenthood); plus Scott's younger sister, Stacey Pilgrim (Anna Kendrick of Up in the Air), and the obnoxious Julie Powers (Aubrey Plaza of Parks and Recreation). Q&amp;A to follow. Hall H
7:30-8:30 Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog
Sing along with your fellow fans at this screening of the original three acts of Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, hosted by the California Browncoats, complete with lyrics books and call backs! Dr. Horrible stars Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother), Nathan Fillion (Castle, Firefly) and Felicia Day (The Guild) and was written by Joss Whedon (Serenity), Jed Whedon (Dollhouse), Zack Whedon (Fringe), and Maurissa Tancharoen (Dollhouse). Room 6A
8:00-11:00 BBC America: U.S. Premiere Screenings of Doctor Who and Being Human
Catch the all-new season opener of Being Human, written by Toby Whithouse and starring Russell Tovey, Lenora Crichlow, Aidan Turner and Sinead Keenan and the two-part finale of Doctor Who, written by Steven Moffat and starring Matt Smith and Karen Gillan. Room 6DE
8:15-9:15 The Sushi Typhoon: The Best in Japanese Genre Movies
Horror, sci-fi, action, and splatter comedy films from Japan have become the most popular new genre in fandom. From the creators of Tokyo Gore Police, The Machine Girl, Suicide Club, Ichi the Killer, Battlefield Baseball, Meatball Machine, and many others comes The Sushi Typhoon, an all-you-can-eat smorgasbord of Japanese genre moviemaking about to hit U.S. shores in partnership with Funimation Entertainment! Director Yoshihiro Nishimura (Tokyo Gore Police), actor Masanori Mimoto (The Ultimate Versus), actress Mika Hijii (Ninja), and producer Yoshinori Chiba (Yatterman) are on hand for a special launch presentation introducing American audiences to the new label, featuring guest Q&amp;A's, trailers for Alien vs. Ninja and Mutant Girls Squad (both screening on Friday night at SDCC), and an exclusive preview of Nishimura's upcoming zombie epic Helldriver, including an exciting first look at footage from the film! Room 5AB
10:00-12:00 World Premiere of Lost Boys: The Thirst
The Frog Brothers return to Comic-Con with holy water balloons ablazin' for the world premiere of Lost Boys: The Thirst, the latest high-energy, action-packed adventure in the ongoing franchise. Original cast members Corey Feldman and Jamison Newlander present the first-ever screening of the cult classic's third film, in which the lost boys and girls of San Cazador prepare to party under the Blood Moon -- while an alpha vampire conspires to turn these unsuspecting ravers into an army of undead. The only thing that stands between him and the annihilation of the entire human race are the infamous vampire-fighting Frog Brothers. Expect some serious bloodsucker butt kicking. And Warner Bros. is providing the free popcorn! Indigo Ballroom, San Diego Hilton Bayfront.